Still or retort.



F. E. WELLMAN. STILL OR RETORT. APPLICATION msn FEB. 23. 1915.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

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WITNESSES: @kfw/ A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

FRANK E. WELLMAN, OF -KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR' T0 THE KANSAS CITY GASOLINE COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 0F KANSAS.

STILL OR RETOBT.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

To all lwhom z't may concern: Be it known that I, FRANK E. WELLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Wyandotte and State of Kansas, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Stills or Retorts; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to stills orretorts, and more particularly to a device of this l character adapted for the distillation, or

cracking, of compounds, such as hydrocarbon oils; the principal object of the invention being to provide a still whereln fractionation of the vapors resulting from the componi: l acted upon may be accomplished at definite temperatures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of distilling that is economical in operation and wherein the 'pressure, ordinarily `used during the distilling of compounds, is unnecessary.

In accomplishing these objects I have provided a closed vessel for receiving the oil to be distilled and from which vapors are driven into a superheater and then into a condenser for definite fractionation; which llatter is accomplished by means of outlets at intervals along the condenser coil.

T he preferred form of structure is hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure I is a vertical section of a still embodying my invention.

Fig. II is an enlarged vertical section of the thermometer settin and valve parts.

. Referring more in etail to the drawings 1 designates an ordinary furnace provided with a boiler, or the like, 2, for receiving the compound vfor distillation.

Opening from the upper portion of the boiler 2 and leading into a furnace 3 is a pipe line 4; the said pipe being formed into a coil 5 within the furnace to present a large amount of heating surface so that vapors passing into the coil are quickly superheated; the heating being accomplished by means of a gas burner 7, as shown, or by any other suitable means such as a.

bath of some heated, non-volatile substance, whereby contents of the coilvmay be heated to the required temperature, which varies usually from 750 to 850 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the kind of. liquid under treatment.

Connected with the lower end of the superheating coil 5 and leading from the furnace 3 to a condenser 8 is an upwardly inclined pipe line 9.

Branching from the line 9, intermediate the furnace coil and condenser 8 is a return pipe 10 which extends through the upper part .of the boiler 2 and delivers into the liquid in the boiler, so that vapors condensed before reaching the condenser may flow back to the boiler for a second heating.

The condenser 8 preferably comprises a casing 12 having inlet and outlet pipes 13 14 through which a cooling fluid may pass.'

Mounted within the casing 12 are a plurality of coils, 15, 15-15v; the said coils being a continuation of the pipe 9, and placed at intervals along said coil are outlet pipes, 16, 16-l6 which lead to a line 17; each of said outlets being provided with a valve 18, 1818, and intermediate each of said coils 15 is a cut-off valve 19, 1919.

Mounted within each of the outlet pipes 16 is a thermometer 20, 20-20 which projects through a bushing 21, 21-21 so that it may be read by the still tender; the bulb being extended back into the coil so that the exact temperature of the vapor at that point may be known.

The pipe line 17 has its lower terminal at the boiler 2 so that condensed vapor may flow back for a second action, the upper end leading to a water-cooled condenser 22 containing a water-cooled coil 23 wherein all vapor remaining in the line is condensed.

Presuming the parts to be constructed as described, oil or petroleum to be cracked is placed in the boiler and heat applied to the boiler in order to effect vaporlzation. Vapors r1s1n through t e boiler outlet into the superheater coil where additional heat is applied and the temperature of the vapor raised to usually from 7 50 to 850 degrees Fahrenheit; the superheating acting on `the vapors to break u and crack the molecules without material y increasing pressure within the coil owing to the fact that the superheater coil has a free openin to the atmosphere through the outlet of` e condenser.

from the oil or petroleum pass l The vapor, after passing through the superheater, iiows up through the pipe 9 into the fractional condenser; the pipe being arranged at an incline so that any condensation liquid will iow back along the pipe to the return pipe l() through which the liquid is redelivered vinto the liquid in the boiler for a second treatment, while the vapor is delivered to the first coil of the fractional condenser. f

When the vapor passes into the first condenser coil from the pipe 9, it is cooled and the less volatile vapors reduced to liquid which may iow through the remaining coils of the condenser or are drawn oii' through the lirst branch 16 when the first condenser coil is cut off by its valve 19.

IfV the still is to be operated for collecting a member of the compound that vaporizes and condenses at a relatively high temperature, say 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the first unit of the condenser only is used; the upper or first unit coil being cut off from the rest of the condenser by :its valve 19, and the valve 18 to the main condenser opened so that vapor passing into the fractional condenser will travel through the first coil and out through the branch 16 into the pipe 17 where the uncondensed vapor passes on to the'condenser coil 23 where it 1s condensed into the desired liquid, any liquid condensing in the pipe passing back to the boiler through the return portion of the pipe.

Should it be desired to save a member of the compound that condenses only at a lower temperature, the first valve 19 is left open and the valve 18 closed so that the vapors must pass through the first and second units and be reduced to a lower temperature, say 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For saving the latter liquid the second valve 19 is closed and the second valve 18 opened so that vapors passing through the two coil units are delivered into the pipe 17 v through which the uncondensed vaporspass into the inal condenser and any condensation liquid is returned to the boiler as before.

It is apparent that the fractional condenser may be provided with as many units as may be necessary or desirable for the reduction of the compound to the several elements of which it is composed; the condition and actionvof the fractional condenser being noted and controlled by the operator who may note the temperature in the condenser by means of thermometers and govern the operation accordingly.

Having thus described m invention, what I claim as new therein an desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. The combination with a vaporizer, of a condenser and a fractionator interposed .between them comprising separate, connected units, dmeans for conducting vapor from the vaporlzer' to the first of said units, means for cutting ofi" flow from one condenser unit to the next, a branch pipe for drawing oi contents from each of said units at a point opposite its intake, and an off-take pipe common to and communicating with the several branch pipes, having one end leading upward to the condenser to carry over vapors to be condensed, and the other end leading downward to the vaporizer to carry back intermediate conde-nsates.

2. The combination with a vaporizer and a condenser, of means for conducting va or from the vaporizer to the condenser, and a fractional condenser interposed in said conducting means and comprising a plurality of `units arranged one above the other, said conducting means from the vaporizer being connected to the upper part of the first unit, and the lower end thereof being connected to the upper end of the next succeeding unit, and so on, a branch pipe connected between each pair of adjacent units, an off-take pipe common to said branch pipes, havin one end extending upwardly to the con enser and constituting a portion of the said conducting means, and its other end extending downwardly to the vaporizer to permit intermediate condensates toV drain thereinto, and valves in said branch pipes.

3. The combination with a vaporizer, of a fractionator comprising a vertical series of separate connected umts, means for conducting vapor from the vaporizer to the uppermost of said units, means for cutting off 4flow from one condenser unit to the next, an

oit-take pipe, a branch leading from each of said units to the off-take pipe, a valve in each of said branches, a condenser with means for cooling the same, a pipe line from said off-take pipe leading upwardly to the upper end of said condenser, a second ipe line extending from the lower part ofpt e off-take pipe downwardly to the vaporizer, and means associated with the branch from each unit to determine the temperature of condensation therein.

4. The combination with a vaporizer of a fractionator consisting of a vertical series of connected units, a condenser, an upwardly extending pipe line from the vapor outlet of the vaporizer to the uppermost unit of the fractionator, an off-take pipe connected to the several units of the fractionator and y of the vaporizer to the uppermost unit of the fractionator, an off-take pipe connected to the several units of the ractionator and extending upwardly to the upper end of the condenser, means for determining the discharge from one or more of the units of the ractionator into said oE-take pipe, a descending drainage pipe extending from a point on the initial vapor line between the vaporizer and the fractionator, downwardly into the vaporizer, and a second drainage pipe extending from .said otake pipe downwardly into the vaporizer, whereby heavy fractions may be condensed in the vapor line and returned to the vaporizer without reaching the fractionator, while predetermined fractions may be selected and returned to the vaporizer from the fractionator, without interrupting the continuity of the process.

6. A low pressure cracking system comprising a vaporizer, a superheater, a fractionator, and a condenser, serially connected, a pipe line from the vaporizer to the s11- perheater, and an upwardly extending pipe line from the superheater to the fractionator, a'plurality of branch pipes from the fractionator with means to control the flow through each of them, a pipe line extending from said branch pipes upwardly to the condenser, a drainage pipe extending downwardly from said pipe line to the vaporizer,

means to heat the vaporizer, means to heat the superheater, and means for cooling the fractionator and the condenser respectively.

7. A low pressure cracking system comprising a vaporizer, a superheater, a condensing pipe line, a vertically arranged multiple unit fractionator, and a final condenser, serially connected, a pipe line connecting the vapor chamber of the vaporizer with the superheater, said upwardly extending condensing pipe line connecting the superhea-ter to the uppermost unit of the fractionator, valves between the several units of the fractionator, branch pipes connected to said several units above said valves respectively, valves in said branch pipes, an offtakepipe common to said branch pipes and extending upwardly to said condenser, a drainage pipe extending from the lower end of said oiT-take pipe downwardly to the vaporizer and extending beneath the liquid level therein, and a second drainage pipe extending from an intermediate point on said condensing vapor line, downwardly into the vaporizer and also passing beneath the liquid level therein.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK E. WELLMAN. Witnesses:

LYNN W. ROBINSON, LETA E. CoA'rs. 

